Dad! I mean, Wyatt's dad!
by LoveOfLemonDrops
Summary: AU: Were you unhappy with the sisters' and Leo's reactions to Chris' true identity in the show? This one's for you! Read what happens as one afternoon, Chris accidentally lets slip the truth.
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: Just a small fic that popped into my mind. There will most likely not be a second chapter.  
  
Summary: AU: The sisters and Leo still don't know who Chris really is. But one afternoon Chris accidentally reveals to his dad his true identity. Just a short sweet fic.  
  
o.o  
  
Chris was flipping through the book of shadows, looking for another possible threat that could be the demon turning Wyatt. Leo was putting Wyatt to sleep in his crib.  
  
"Found anything?" asked Leo.  
  
"No... you know, the number of times I've flipped through that thing, I think I might know it by heart soon. This is hopeless!" whined Chris.  
  
"Give it a rest, Chris. You haven't stopped searching since you got here. If it's really your destiny to save Wyatt, maybe you should just wait for the answer to come to you."  
  
"Easy for you to say, you're not the one who grew up with him." blurted Chris, two seconds before realizing his mistake. He clamped a hand over his mouth.  
  
"Growing up with him? You grew up with Wyatt?" asked Leo suspiciously.  
  
"In a manner of speaking... Hey, wanna go see if there's anything to eat? I'm starving." said Chris swiftly.  
  
"Don't change the subject, we just had lunch half an hour ago. Well, how come you grew up with Wyatt? What happened to your parents? Didn't you live with them?" inquired Leo.  
  
"Uh... they sort of... couldn't take care of me. Died when I was a baby. You... you were my mom's whitelighter, after she died you took me in." lied Chris, a little too quickly.  
  
"I'm sorry... Not to be insensitive or anything, but why did I take you in? Not that I don't like having you around, but it doesn't seem like the kind of thing I would do in that kind of situation and I doubt Piper would've allowed it."  
  
"Erm... yeah, that's a long story. Listen, Leo, I'm really hungry so, uh, I think I'll just go and see if Piper left anything." said Chris before orbing out.  
  
Leo looked after Chris pensively for a couple of seconds before something seemed to click. He orbed after Chris quickly.  
  
He found Chris sitting on the sofa, staring dreamily ahead.  
  
Chris was thinking about the future. 'You should be more careful you dolt, you almost gave yourself away." He scolded himself. 'If dad would've found out...' Then, looking up, he saw the man he was just thinking about and said without thinking "Dad, what –I mean- dad, Wyatt's dad, Wyatt needs you, I can hear him crying!" Chris almost yelled in panic, jumping to his feet and trying very hard not to slap himself for his stupidity.  
  
Leo looked at him strangely for several moments and Chris could only stand there and pray that Leo wasn't putting two and two together.  
  
Both men just looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity, before Leo broke the silence, falling to the chair heavily.  
  
"Chris... you're... you're my son, aren't you?" Leo asked weakly, looking at Chris.  
  
"Son? Huh? Me? Leo, man, where'd you get that idea?" Chris snickered, trying not to show his panic. "Do I look anything like you or mom?" he asked, laughing, before his eyes grew wide in realization and he smacked his forehead. He fell heavily on the sofa, raising both hands to the heavens and murmuring: "Way to go Chris... just... way to go..." he sighed.  
  
"It's true then? You're my son... and Piper's... Good heavens..." Leo said, looking as shocked as a man can be.  
  
Chris was still smacking himself repeatedly over his head and murmuring insults at himself.  
  
"Chris! Chris, can you hear me?" asked Leo.  
  
Chris looked at his dad.  
  
"Well, would you believe me if I said I wasn't you son?" he asked.  
  
"Not after putting two and two together I won't... dear god... when were you going to tell us Chris? You could've at least told me..."  
  
"Yeah right, and risk changing the future? I don't think so."  
  
Leo stared at Chris, open mouthed, trying to absorb what he'd just discovered. This twenty-something year old sitting in front of him was his son... who hasn't even been conceived yet... how could he have missed the signs?  
  
"I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I'll leave if you want me to –" said Chris before orbing out. But Leo caught him before he could leave and he fell back onto the couch.  
  
"Are you kidding? You just dropped this... this HUGE bombshell on me –Chris, you're my son!" "Thanks for reminding me..." said Chris sarcastically. He was looking at Leo as though he expected him to reject him right there and then. But Leo only smiled and clapped his hand on Chris' shoulder. He was smiling toothily.  
  
"When are you going to be born? Is Chris your real name? Why'd we name you Chris? Am I a good dad? Do –"  
  
"Woah, woah, woah, easy with the questions dad... you have no idea how good it feels to finally be able to call you that... that was the hardest thing, not calling you dad or Piper mom... As for when I'm going to be born... okay this is highly disturbing and I don't want to have to be the one who says this but –ahem... before I'm born... I sort of have to be... not that... well... just... I have to be conceived, don't I? How're you going to make that happen with you and mom broken up and all?" he asked sheepishly.  
  
Leo just stared at his son in shock and stuttered: "Very funny Chris... you are grounded young man."  
  
Chris started laughing and Leo joined in contagiously.  
  
o.o  
  
A/N: Well, did ya'll like that? I know it doesn't deal with the whole issue of Chris hating Leo but I was bored and I had nothing better to do than write this so please do me a favor and REVIEW! Thank you 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay, so since I got WONDERFUL reviews from all of you for the last chapter and many of them asked me to go on with this fic, I just thought- what the heck, and decided to try and go somewhere with this. So here's what I decided to do with this fic, since I'm not good with ideas and my plot would be terrible if I came up with one. So instead, I'll dedicate a chapter to each member of the family finding out about Chris. I decided that since I already wrote Leo first, it would be appropriate to have Paige find out next, Phoebe after, and in the end Piper. Why am I rewriting the way the family found out about Chris? Well, allow me to enlighten those of you who ask:  
  
How PHOEBE found out: In a one minute moment in which she asks Chris if he's Wyatt's little brother. Her reaction: she smiles. What the heck? We, the faithful viewers, have been waiting since the 5th season finale to find out who that very pretty, pretty Chris is, and when we FINALLY find out about the biggest plot of the season, they make it a two-minute thing, and Phoebe's the first one to find out about it. And she smiles. She's not shocked. She SMILES, as though it's just the most natural thing to have your 22-23 year old nephew standing in front of you BEFORE HE WAS EVEN CONCEIVED.I'm sorry, it's not what I expected and I was disappointed.  
  
How PAIGE finds out: Chris blurts it out. Paige looks oh-so-NOT shocked and sits down saying "this has been such a long day" Well, so much for us holding our breaths and waiting for HER reaction! Another two-minute instant for the most anticipated moment of the episode.  
  
How Piper finds out: Now, I have no complaints here. I know some of you expected a hug and I did too at first but then I thought about it- her sisters just told her she's PREGNANT with the man standing in front of her. It would've been really stupid if she accepts it quickly enough to run and hug him. BUT I said no complaints about the REACTION. I can complain however about the way she found out: her sisters told her. Now I know some of you are all into the sister bonding thing, but I truly wanted Chris to tell Piper, preferably accidentally and it would've been much more suspenseful if she'd have found out first. So there's that...  
  
How LEO found out: Now that was the biggest disappointment to me. PHOEBE told him! It should've been PIPER or CHRIS, for sure! Why Phoebe? I was eternally angry when Phoebe was the one to reveal it to him. And I really did not think the way he tried to look shocked was persuasive. Ok, so my complaints about the way he found out: PHOEBE TOLD HIM! (sorry, I'm just so frustrated about that) I mean, I suppose for most of us, the most interesting thing was to see how Leo would find out. I firmly believe either Piper should've told him, Chris, or again, finding out accidentally (which in case ya'll haven't noticed is my favorite.) Now about his VERY disappointing reaction: So, newsflash. Leo's been trying to find out who Chris is for SO long, he's the one who was the most concerned about that. I would think that finding out about that would, I don't know, blow him away! See him REALLY shocked right there. I mean, shocked as in- don't just ask STRAIGHTAWAY "why's he angry at me", when a couple of minutes ago you found out he's under a spell! Anyway, all in all, I think we'd all agree that Season 6 had possibly the best plot- Piper and Leo divorced- Wyatt turning evil- Chris being his little brother. I really thought that the writers could've done SO MUCH more with that plot! Aye, I was disappointed indeed. I really think what most of us expected after Chris-Crossed was for future Wyatt to come back to the past to try to stop Chris. I mean, they describe him as the most powerful being ever! He's ruling the world or something, no one dares to confront him. And I really thought that there should've been a lot more to do about that. Oh welll... enough criticizing the show, let's move on to the second chapter, shall we?  
  
Oh, and one more thing! In this fic, the reason Chris doesn't hate Leo is because it happens before Spin City. In case you haven't observed this, before that Chris wasn't showing any signs of hating his dad, except for the couple of first episodes. Then they got all friendly and stuff, remember? I think his hatred resurfaced because he thought his dad's changed, and then he went and left them after Courtship of Wyatt's father. So there's my explanation. But don't worry; Chris still has some... hidden anger to disclose. I won't let ya'll down. I hope so anyway...  
  
o.o  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Chris was chatting with his dad over some beers when he heard a jingle, followed by his aunt Paige calling him. His dad looked up sharply.  
  
"Paige's calling me." he announced.  
  
"Me too!" answered Chris, as both men orbed out together.  
  
They appeared in a cave. Paige was being attacked by what looked like a five-headed demon. It was breathing fire and ice out of his multiple mouths. She was trying to deflect his attacks and rebound them on him unsuccessfully. Each time she'd try to orb, the demon would manage to exhale fire at her and make her come back.  
  
Chris telekinetically sent the demon flying against the wall. He then made a fist, effectively choking the demon as it erupted in flames.  
  
"Not bad." said Leo, looking impressed.  
  
"A little help here, please?" called Paige.  
  
Leo ran towards her and put his hands over her bruised shoulder. He then orbed them back to the manor.  
  
"Do you think there's more of his kind? Should I go check the book?" asked Chris.  
  
"No, I don't think that's necessary. I was just helping this woman at my new temp job and she led me to this cave and turned into that demon." She sighed. "It doesn't matter anyway, I think I'll stop with this fruitless search for happiness. The temp jobs obviously haven't worked. Maybe I'll just go back to super witch status..." she trailed off.  
  
"You know what I think... I think we haven't taken a break for awhile. Who wants Chinese? I think mo –Piper is tired enough as it is, she doesn't have to cook for us. You guys wanna go somewhere?" asked Chris.  
  
Paige looked at him in surprise.  
  
"What! I eat, you know!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Could've fooled me..." murmured Paige. "Ever since you got here you haven't taken a break. Well, I'm all for going out."  
  
o.o  
  
Twenty minutes later, Chris, Leo and Paige found themselves sitting at a table, waiting for their orders to arrive. Meanwhile, Leo kept looking at Chris strangely. Paige, noticing this, dropped her menu on the table and exclaimed: "Alright you two, what's this all about?"  
  
"What's about what?" asked Leo innocently.  
  
"You're looking at Chris like he's an alien! Am I missing something here?"  
  
Leo looked at Chris inquiringly. Chris shook his head frantically in what he thought was a discreet way but Paige saw it anyway and narrowed her eyes. Leo got up suddenly and muttered: "I'm going to the bathroom", before giving Chris a pointed look and walking away. Chris looked at his hands and shook his head before getting up and following his dad, leaving a confused and clueless Paige at the table.  
  
Chris walked over to where Leo was standing by the sink in the bathroom.  
  
"Leo, I mean dad, I mean –can I call you dad?" asked Chris.  
  
"Of course!" said Leo. "So, are you going to tell your aunts or mother any time soon or do you have to keep this a secret?"  
  
Chris sighed. "I don't know... it's been so hard keeping this from all of you since I got here. What do you think I should do?" he asked the man he was now looking up to as opposed to hating. Ever since he got to the past he'd learnt to really like Leo. In the future he never really got to know his dad because he was never there for him, but for the first time in years Chris saw Leo around almost all the time despite being an Elder, and seeing how hard it was for his dad to obey the rules and really leave and living through everything his family went through once Leo became and Elder made him understand that his father had to make a sacrifice that hurt him just as much as it hurt Chris. And he forgave Leo, believing that this time around, since he came here to change Wyatt's fate, Leo would remain as he is today and be there in Chris' future.  
  
"Chris? Chris?" Leo waved his hands in Chris' face for the second time that day.  
  
"What? Oh! Sorry, what'd you say?"  
  
"I said I think it's up to you to decide whether you want to tell Paige or not!"  
  
"I don't know, I can't decide!"  
  
"Ok, ok, you don't have to decide now. Let's just go and eat before Paige gets fed up with us and leaves." said Leo, looking at his son with kindness. He put his hand on his son's shoulder as they headed back towards the table.  
  
Paige raised her eyebrows at them suggestively. "You know, you two hated each other when Chris first got here. I'm starting to think I liked it better that way –now you're sharing secrets and being buddies with each other. Mind sharing?"  
  
Chris looked away uncomfortably, letting his dad answer. "It's just... Chris has been doing a lot of good since he got here and I'm really proud of him, that's all."  
  
Chris looked at his dad strangely. His entire life, he'd been waiting to hear these words come out of his dad's mouth if only but once. And now he was hearing them before he was even born. He smiled to himself, murmuring a "thanks".  
  
When the three were eating, Leo and Chris seemed to be taking turns looking at each other strangely –almost.... Admiringly, Paige thought, feeling very much left out and bewildered. 'What's their big secret?' she kept asking herself, but she kept her mouth shut, feeling that she won't get any answers from them right there.  
  
o.o  
  
When they got back home, Phoebe was already back from work and watching TV. She told them that Piper had come back from work a while ago and was now out with Wyatt. Paige settled in the couch next to Phoebe and Leo took the opportunity to give Chris a signal before orbing to the attic.  
  
"What's up?" asked Chris when he orbed after his father.  
  
"Listen, Chris... I've been thinking while we were eating... I never really apologized for the way I treated you in the past couple of months, when you first got here... I mean, blaming you for making me and Elder, and killing a Valkarey and all..." Chris looked away guiltily, knowing that his dad had rightfully accused him.  
  
"Um... forget it, it's nothing, you were just doing your job and protecting your family." He answered hesitantly, wondering if he should tell his dad the truth.  
  
"It still doesn't excuse any of it – you're family, I hit you –I'm sorry, I wish I could take it all back..."  
  
"Don't – don't..." choked Chris.  
  
"Chris? What is it?" asked Leo, concerned as he saw his son drop his head shamefully.  
  
Chris drew a deep breath. "Those things you accused me of – you were right... I did do those things... horrible things." admitted Chris.  
  
"Huh? But... but why?" asked a befuddled Leo.  
  
"Because! Because, I had to get you out of the way so that I could become the girls' whitelighter. And I did send you to Valhalley, so that I could execute my plan to save Wyatt without you watching my every move... and I did kill that Valkarey... I needed her amulet for the sisters to go and save you once they found out where you were... And I'm sorry, I really am..." stifled Chris.  
  
Leo looked at his son for what seemed like forever before he told Chris reassuringly. "Well, you're my son Chris... and everything you did, you did for the right reasons, and I know you'd never hurt anyone on purpose, so if that's what you want to hear – I forgive you."  
  
Chris looked at his dad gratefully up from the couch. He got up and moved hesitantly towards Leo. "But... you don't know the entire truth... I did do some of that stuff to –to hurt... someone."  
  
"Who?" asked Leo.  
  
Chris swallowed before answering. "You..." he said very quietly, almost to himself. Leo looked at Chris in shock. "But... Chris, why?" he inquired.  
  
Chris made up his mind and sighed. "Sit down, dad. This could take a while to explain."  
  
o.o  
  
A/N: Okay, that's not a REAL cliffhanger people so don't go nuts on me, okay? :P So this chapter wasn't really about Paige finding out, I know, but I just went with what I had in mind while I wrote so I'm hoping you'll all forgive me. And I know I'll forgive any of you for anything if you just take a tiny minute out of your presumably busy life and review! Hugs reviewers in advance Thank you for reading! 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
When Chris finished his story to Leo, the man could only sit there in shock and run the story through his head while shooting questions at Chris.  
  
"Did I miss ALL of your birthdays?"  
  
"Well... I don't remember, I think you came to about 4 of them... out of... 14?"  
  
"14... is that when... Piper died?"  
  
"Yeah... yeah, it was on my 14th birthday actually. You were there for that one actually."  
  
"How'd it happen?"  
  
"Can't tell you... future consequences." answered Chris somberly.  
  
Leo heaved a sigh. 'Just the fact that he told you about it in the first place gives you a chance to change it. I WILL change it.' He promised himself.  
  
"Wyatt turns evil before you're born?"  
  
"I grew up knowing it."  
  
"You were on his side for awhile?"  
  
"Yes... until... someone reminded me of what's important."  
  
"Was I always a horrible father?"  
  
"You were around until I was two years old. I don't really remember you. You'd visit sometimes, but I barely knew you. And you barely knew me. When you'd come to visit you'd do it in secret because the Elders forbade it. I guess you really should've obeyed them, it would've made it much less painful if I didn't know you..." said Chris bitterly.  
  
"Then how come you say I spent time with your mom and Wyatt? Why not with you?"  
  
"I don't know... I was sort of hoping you could answer that, dad." answered Chris resentfully.  
  
Leo dropped his head in shame.  
  
"Sorry." said Chris hastily. "Old grudge, you know?" Leo still had his head down. "Hey, I'm sorry dad. It's not your fault. It's just... in the last couple of months I learned more about you than I ever did in my entire life. But you've got a second chance now and I hope you take it, because I can hardly associate you with the father I had in the future." Leo looked into Chris' eyes searchingly. "I wish I could make it up to you." He whispered.  
  
"You can." pointed out Chris. "When baby me is born, you have a clean slate."  
  
"I do... thanks for telling me about this –us, Chris. Thank you for giving me a second chance."  
  
"No problem."  
  
o.o  
  
"Ooh, that was a sad movie." said Paige, wiping tears from her eyes as she turned off the TV.  
  
Phoebe was clutching a pillow, tears streaming down her face. They'd just finished watching Artificial Intelligence.  
  
"I want a son..." she said, almost hypnotized.  
  
"Earth to Phoebe! Earth to Phoebe! Are you there?" called Paige.  
  
Phoebe looked up. "Paige, do you ever think about how we're going to end up? I mean... do you think we'll have children and a husband and live a demon- free life at some points?"  
  
"Well, of course I think about it... I don't know really, I haven't been in a serious relationship forever! I... I've always wanted to have kids. The thing is, ever since Piper had Wyatt I've sort of... lost a bit of hope, I guess?" she shrugged.  
  
"I know what you mean... demons always coming after him. And Leo leaving her and all." sighed Phoebe.  
  
"Speaking of Piper and Leo... where'd they go? And where's Chris?" asked Paige.  
  
Phoebe strained her ears. She couldn't tell if Chris and Leo were in the attic.  
  
"I don't know... I'll go check the attic. You call Piper's cell." ordered Phoebe.  
  
Paige nodded.  
  
o.o  
  
"So... how about you tell me about... the day you met mom?" said Chris. He and Leo had been exchanging life stories for the past hour so that they could get to know each other. None of them saw Phoebe who stopped abruptly at the attic door as she heard Chris say the word 'mom'. She stood in the shadows and listened attentively. Her eyes widened as she realized Leo was recounting the day he'd met Piper. She stepped out of the shadows and looked at Chris in shock.  
  
Leo stopped talking abruptly as he saw the look on Chris' face. He turned around.  
  
"What're you two talking about?" she asked, a fake smile on her face.  
  
"Oh... I was just... telling Chris about the day I met Piper, actually." said Leo, presuming that Phoebe heard a part of his story.  
  
"I know that... it's just, right before you told Chris your little story, he asked you to tell him about the day you met MOM?" accused Phoebe, looking at Chris in disbelief.  
  
"It seems to happen often these days, doesn't it? Me getting busted..." muttered Chris in defeat.  
  
Leo raised his eyebrows at Chris.  
  
"What?" he smiled sheepishly.  
  
Phoebe sat down on the couch next to Leo and opposite Chris. "You have some explaining to do, young sir." She said, giving him a pointed look.  
  
"With the face you're giving me, do I have a choice? Well, you asked for it... I'm your nephew." said Chris.  
  
Phoebe looked at Chris in shock.  
  
o.o  
  
A/N: MWAHAHAHA CLIFFIE. Please review! I'm sorry, I would've kept going but I'm done for tonight, I'm starving and I'm tired. Toodles! :D 


	4. Chapter 4

"With the face you're giving me, do I have a choice? Well, you asked for it... I'm your nephew." said Chris.  
  
Phoebe looked at Chris in shock.  
  
o.o  
  
"You're my WHAT?" she shrieked, getting up quickly.  
  
"Your –um –your nephew? As in your sister's son?"  
  
"B-b-but... how? When? What?" asked a completely lost and shocked Phoebe.  
  
"Think about it, Phoebe –it makes perfect sense –why Chris came back to save Wyatt, why he's half witch half whitelighter, why-"said Leo.  
  
"B-b-b-b-b-but... Why didn't you tell us you were Wyatt?" she asked Chris.  
  
"Huh? Heh. I'm not Wyatt. I'm Chris. I'm Wyatt's little brother." said Chris very slowly, as if he were talking to a stupid person.  
  
Phoebe laughed and shook her head. "This is crazy."  
  
Chris smiled. "If I knew seeing your reactions to my real identity was going to be this funny I would've done it ages ago."  
  
"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Phoebe in an accusing tone. "And is Leo your father? Wait –I think I already know the answer to that." she said, rubbing her temples.  
  
"I didn't tell you because the less you know about the future, the better. I was supposed to come here, save Wyatt and go back. It wasn't supposed to take this long. You weren't supposed to get to know me very well actually. And you most certainly weren't supposed to know I'm your nephew. Damn... I'm messing up the future." grumbled Chris.  
  
Phoebe seemed to finally be accepting the fact that she has another nephew and her expression changed as she looked at Chris strangely.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"You're my nephew!" she squealed, jumping over to give him a hug.  
  
Chris returned the hug eagerly, remembering the last time he hugged his aunt, right before she died.  
  
Phoebe pulled away from the hug and looked at Chris through shining eyes. She then turned to Leo and asked: "Is it just me, or does he have my lips? No, no, no, no –wait, I know. He has my hair! Nah, that's Piper. Okay, okay –you have my cheerfulness! Or not... Ok, spill it, I just KNOW you got some kind of power from me. Can you levitate?"  
  
Chris shook his head in mock disbelief. "I got your ears."  
  
o.o  
  
"Well, who else knows about this? I'm going to kill Paige if she knew about this all this time. When did you find out, Leo?" asked Phoebe.  
  
"This morning, actually. Chris let it slip... kind of."  
  
"And thus irreversibly changed the future. Who knows what future I'll even go back to." whined Chris.  
  
"You didn't answer my question. Do Piper and Paige know about this?"  
  
"No. And I'm not sure we should tell them." Said Chris.  
  
"Yeah, but Chris, you know Leo and I can't keep such a big secret from them! Oh alright," she rolled her eyes and the pointed look Leo gave her. "I'm the one who can't keep the secret. I really can't. And even if I tried, Piper will see right through it!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Do something. Help me out here. The future's in my hands." said Chris, turning to Leo.  
  
"What do you want me to say? She's right, Piper will see right through us, she knows me and Phoebe too well."  
  
"Agh. What am I supposed to do? You know what, don't answer that. I know what I'll do. I'll just use a potion on both of you to make you forget you ever found out about this! And you're not going to stop me, because it's for the greater good, seeing how we don't know if the consequences of me telling you about this are good or bad!" said Chris.  
  
Leo got up abruptly. "You are NOT making me forget that you're my son. Come on Chris, that's not the way to solve things!"  
  
"And besides Chris, if you make us forget, how are you planning on getting conceived?"  
  
Leo turned an interesting shade of red while Chris seemed to be taking Phoebe's question very seriously.  
  
"I don't know. I'll find a way. The most important thing is that you don't know about me. That way nothing bad I don't know about will happen." he said.  
  
"Well, making us forget isn't an option. Do you really think you can fight me AND your dad?"  
  
"Okay, okay, I surrender!" cried Chris.  
  
"Does that mean I get to tell Paige?" squealed Phoebe.  
  
Chris glared at her.  
  
"This is so messed up." Leo finally spoke up.  
  
"Look, Chris, I think you should've just told us when you got here who you really are. It would have prevented so many problems. Don't you see? When you were hiding things from us, nothing was going your way; we didn't trust you –now that we know, everything's going to be fine."  
  
Chris tried to find any reason to avoid telling his mom. He couldn't, he just couldn't go through seeing her expression. He knew she'd try to get close to him, get to know him... He couldn't go through it. He couldn't get close to her. Her knowing who he is will only make things harder. He couldn't get distracted. She'd get distracted. Everything would be completely messed up.  
  
Leo put his hand on Chris' shoulder.  
  
"Look, Chris, whatever it is you're thinking, whatever it is, I promise you I won't let anything bad happen to your future."  
  
Chris looked into his dad's eyes. 'But you don't know what it is you have to stop... you don't know how much of it is out of your control.' he thought but didn't say.  
  
"Okay, just... let me figure it out, ok? Can you pretend for just a little while, Phoebe?  
  
"I'm telling you, I'm a BAD liar. But I can try." she added quickly at Leo's warning glare.  
  
o.o  
  
When Phoebe, Chris and Leo headed back downstairs they found Paige watching Toy Story 2 on the Disney channel.  
  
"What? Nothing else is on!" she exclaimed at their amused expressions.  
  
"I don't get the movies from this decade. The special effects are so bad! And the quality! Wait till you see the movies 20 years from now. Now that's proper film making!" said Chris.  
  
Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Show off... So, Paige, did you call Piper? Where is she?"  
  
"Oh... Piper? Piper's... Piper's nowhere really!" said Paige a little too quickly, trying to avoid looking at Leo.  
  
"What do you mean nowhere?" asked a clueless Chris. "Is she okay?"  
  
"Oh, no honey, she's just busy. Probably at the club or something." covered Phoebe.  
  
'Or on a date.' thought Leo sadly.  
  
"Oh. Okay. Well, anyway, I think I'll go to sleep now." said Chris, yawning and preparing to orb.  
  
Phoebe clutched him. "But shouldn't you sleep here now, I mean, now that... now that... you know... now that we know how uncomfortable it is at the club!" said Phoebe, looking at Leo pointedly.  
  
"Oh, sure, I'll set up the couch for you, Chris!" said Leo quickly, catching Phoebe's point.  
  
"Do I have a choice?" asked Chris under his breath.  
  
Paige just looked very confused.  
  
"First Leo and Chris, and now Phoebe? Is it just me or is something going on?"  
  
"It's just you." said all three of them.  
  
"Well, I'm off to bed." said Phoebe, looking away uncomfortably.  
  
Paige raised her eyebrows but didn't ask any further questions. Instead she said good night and went upstairs.  
  
o.o  
  
A/N: Okay, so since I've been short of ideas lately, I just wrote this little chapter to try to get some ideas and I did. So now I have a plot for how Paige and Piper will find out. So don't worry guys, I'll try to make it good! Thanks for reading and please review! 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you guys for the great reviews! But I'm a greedy little girl, I want MORE, so don't hesitate to review more than once! Mwahaha. Now on with the story! o.o  
  
Paige tossed and turned in her bed. She couldn't fall asleep. Her gut was telling her there was something important that she needed to know about Chris. The way Leo and Chris were acting around each other, and the way Phoebe acted just before. She wondered if Chris told them something about the future. What if it was about her and it was something big? That would explain why they were hiding it. It could be something that has to do with her possibly getting married, or having kids. Or it could be something really bad. Like her death maybe. Or the death of someone she loved. Paige suddenly got an idea but brushed it away immediately. She tried ignoring the idea desperately but it was very tempting. 'To have the knowledge of your future between your own hands. To have the complete control to change what you want. To know when and what it is that you can avoid, to be able to transform wrong decisions and make the good ones without going through the hardship of thinking.' Oh yes, the idea was VERY enticing. But Paige knew from past experience that nothing good could come out of a truth spell or anything that could be used for personal gain. She shut her eyes tightly again and started counting sheep in order to keep a forming plan out of her head.  
  
o.o  
  
Piper and Michael had reached his doorstep. Piper leaned in for a kiss but pulled away shortly. Michael persisted, claiming her lips passionately and trying to get more. Piper pulled away before long and said:  
  
"Well, I really enjoyed that! Thank you for everything Michael. Call me?"  
  
Before he could answer, she was bounding down the steps without looking back, rushing towards her car.  
  
o.o  
  
Chris woke up in the middle of the night. He tried to look around for the source of what caused him to get up. Finding nothing, he shrugged and orbed into the kitchen to grab a glass of water just in time to see a flustered Piper hurrying into the kitchen and putting her keys in the drawer.  
  
"Chris, hi!" said Piper, surprised to find a sleepy Chris looking at her.  
  
"Hi. Long night at the club?" asked Chris.  
  
"The club? Oh, yes, yes, long night at the club." said a confused looking Piper. "What are you doing here in your pajamas in the middle of the night anyway?"  
  
"Oh, I, um, Leo, and Phoebe, they, erm –they set up the couch for me. They said I could sleep her because... because of the... the bed in the club! Yeah, you see, the bed in the club is, uh, broken." said Chris.  
  
"Uh-uh." answered a mystified Piper.  
  
"Yup..."  
  
Piper walked to the fridge, still looking at Chris perplexedly and making a mental note to ask Leo and Phoebe about this later. Not that she didn't like Chris, but surely he'd be more comfortable at his own place, like every 22 year old bachelor.  
  
"Milk?" she offered, taking out a bottle from the refrigerator.  
  
Chris smiled fondly at the many memories of his mom offering him milk whenever he woke up as a kid in the middle of the night.  
  
"Chris?" asked Piper warily when he didn't answer and continued to look right past her, smiling.  
  
"Oh, what? Milk, right. Sure, why not." responded Chris.  
  
Piper poured some milk, looking over at Chris every once in awhile. He really didn't seem to be himself tonight, she thought. He kept on looking at her oddly, as if he knew something she didn't. Then again, he was from the future, she reminded herself. He did know lots of things she didn't.  
  
Piper handed him the glass of milk and sat down, offering him to do the same. He accepted and sat down across from her, examining the table. They gulped their drinks quietly, not saying anything but feeling comfortable.  
  
Piper finally got up the courage to ask something that had been nagging her for awhile.  
  
"Chris? Do you mind if I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure." he answered slowly.  
  
"Why did YOU come back, of all people? Why didn't, say, I, Phoebe, Paige, or Leo come back to save Wyatt? How did you know him? Were you friends? Were you close?"  
  
Chris avoided Piper's eyes. He'd been expecting this; he was actually surprised the question hadn't come up before.  
  
"Yes, you could say we used to be close." he said softly.  
  
Piper nodded but didn't press for more information, seeing how the subject affected Chris, who was getting gradually stiffer.  
  
Chris' saw memories in his mind. Memories of back when he and Wyatt had been close. Back when Chris was on Wyatt's side. Back when Chris believed Wyatt about power, about there being no good or evil. He remembered how Wyatt had accused him of betraying him when he'd gone back with Bianca. He couldn't believe Wyatt hadn't figured it out by then –that Chris hadn't been on Wyatt's side in a long time.  
  
Piper went over to the sink and washed the glass. She then distractedly started washing the other dishes. Chris had meanwhile gotten up without noticing and started helping his mother absentmindedly.  
  
They stood side by side, staring at the wall ahead and not saying anything for several minutes, until all the utensils were washed and put away, and they both headed back to their respective beds, or in Chris' case, couch, after saying their goodnights.  
  
o.o  
  
Paige woke up suddenly, covered in sweat. She looked around in panic. Not seeing anything dangerous, she slumped back on her bed and let her breathing get gradually back to normal. She'd just dreamed that she was fighting an upper-level demon on her own. The demon hurled a fireball at her and she woke up with it an inch away from her heart.  
  
Paige's thoughts wandered back to the truth spell. 'It'll only last 24 hours. I'll make sure not to ask him anything that could reveal too much about the future. I'll only ask for a little hint of what my future's holding for me.' she told herself persuasively. Convinced, she got up leisurely, put on a robe and orbed to the attic.  
  
o.o  
  
A/N: Mwahaha. So I guess that gave ya'll an idea of what my plot is for how Paige finds out. I know that whole part with Piper and Chris was uneventful and boring, but I do believe that it was necessary to the story because otherwise the little parts that make their life whole are never told and they're always portrayed while drama happens. Anyway, that's my little and probably illogical theory but enough of that, now I have to go study for my EXAMS. I'm so totally going to fail math, history and science. Please review, because I love you! 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Whew. This week was totally overloaded. You guys should know that I have like 7 brothers and sisters so it's kinda hard to find time to write. Plus I have exams. So now that the worst is over, meaning my history, science and math 4th term exams, I only have next week full of final exams. So I won't write next week, sorry, must get good grades. So please bear with me. Thanks a lot for all the great reviews, they make me so happy! Love you all!  
  
o.o  
  
Paige walked over to the book as if she were in a daze. She opened the book slowly and started flipping through it, looking for the truth spell. She wasn't really thinking anymore, all that she could feel was the incredible fear of not having a future; never accomplishing her dreams; to die just like her grandmother, her mother and the sister she never met. Never finding happiness or true love, never feeling the joy of carrying a child, the pain of giving breath, the difficulties and joys of raising children. She was terrified of dying, of never seeing her nephews growing up. Paige hands stopped flipping the pages as her eyes fell on the truth spell. She took a deep breath and copied it down on a piece of paper, preparing to go down to the living room and cast it on him in his sleep. 'That way he'll never know, and the spell will wear off sooner' she told herself. Her gut was telling her that she shouldn't, but her heart was telling her to find out the truth.  
  
o.o  
  
Chris woke up, feeling quite light headed. He struggled to untangle himself from the sheets and went over to the open window and looked outside, shivering. He didn't notice Paige walking up behind him, looking nervous.  
  
o.o  
  
Paige repetitively cursed herself for being so reckless, for casting a truth spell on a person who could reveal the entire future. 'What were you thinking?' she asked herself. Only she wasn't thinking, she was feeling. And she now had to get Chris out of the house, to make sure that he isn't forced to reveal any information to the others. She was still going to execute her plan and ask him a couple of questions. She still felt the same way as last night; the only difference was that she was thinking clearly. She sipped her coffee slowly and heard a groan from the living room. She saw Chris getting up and going to look out the window, hugging himself. She walked over to him, clutching her cup of coffee nervously.  
  
"Chris, hey! How are you?" she asked cheerfully.  
  
"I'm bad. Very bad." answered Chris truthfully, looking confused at the same time.  
  
"Good! Me too!" exclaimed Paige.  
  
"So, Chris, how about we go to the park and talk for a while? We haven't really gotten to know each other since you got here, and I thought a little whitelighter/charge bonding might be in order." said Paige very fast.  
  
"Sure thing Aunt Paige." He said, clamping his hand over his mouth a second later. "I mean, Paige! Definitely not Aunt Paige, Aunt Paige!"  
  
A small part of Chris' mind registered that he wasn't able to lie. Meanwhile, Paige looked shocked and shaken. Her mind was reeling and she said nothing, looking at Chris' face blankly.  
  
"Y-you... ho-how??? You're my... my n-nephew?" she stammered.  
  
"In the flesh. Piper and Leo's son." Said Chris, looking very much appalled at what he found himself saying.  
  
"Oh my god." Paige finally managed to utter after processing this information for several minutes.  
  
"Yeah... yeah... did I just tell you who I really am?" asked an aghast looking Chris.  
  
"My nephew... Oh my god... You're my nephew. You're Piper and Leo's son." Paige could only sit and say the same things over and over, muttering "oh my gods" each time she looked at Chris.  
  
"I'm Wyatt's little brother. I'm almost two years younger actually." said Chris conversationally. Only his eyes showed that he was trying to fight the spell.  
  
Paige suddenly got up and pointed a reproachful finger at Chris. "You... you... you are my nephew! From the future! Chris, why didn't you tell us?"  
  
"Because number one, it could affect the future in horrible ways, number two, you wouldn't have believed me, and three, you wouldn't have wanted me around."  
  
Paige looked at Chris, reeling from all the different emotions she was feeling. Chris' eyes were showing that he was fighting the spell. He knew he was powerful enough to break the spell; he'd done it years ago.  
  
"Of course we would've wanted you! Why would you think we wouldn't want you around? You're family!" Paige finally had the sense to say.  
  
"Not according to Leo I'm not. Or wasn't." said Chris.  
  
"Leo knew about this? And Phoebe too?" asked Paige.  
  
"Yes." "Does Piper know about this?"  
  
Chris opened his mouth, but seemed to finally be winning his fight against the spell. He struggled to stop the words from coming out.  
  
"Mom can't know! Just don't tell mom, promise me you won't tell her, Paige! I can't let her know, because she's... going to d..." Chris finally managed to snap his mouth shut and glared at Paige as the spell wore off.  
  
Paige was incredibly confused. She didn't know what she was thinking anymore. She felt sorry for Chris, for how he suffered these past months... They didn't trust him, they kicked him out once, they were mad at him for lying to them, Leo hit him... And she was shocked, and she was confused... She wasn't thinking straight. And now Chris was probably mad at her for casting the spell on him. And he remembered all of it because the spell didn't wear off after 24 hours; he forced himself out of it. Paige looked up at him regretfully.  
  
"I'm sorry Chris... I didn't mean to... I'm sorry about casting the spell on you..." she said softly, looking up at him.  
  
Chris' glare softened and he slumped back on the couch, not saying anything.  
  
Paige sat next to him and put her hand on his shoulder, forcing him to look at her.  
  
"You're my nephew?" she said, smiling.  
  
"I'm your nephew." he said, smiling back.  
  
"Awesome." she countered.  
  
o.o  
  
Piper woke up later than usual that morning. She yawned, went to the bathroom, washed her face and went to check up on Wyatt. She watched her baby, sleeping like an angel. She remembered Chris' look last night when she'd asked him if he was close to Wyatt. His eyes were full of repressed pain. She wondered how the two witches met each other. Magic school? No, she wouldn't send Wyatt there; she wanted him to have a normal life. Chris was half-whitelighter, half-witch, just like Paige, thought Piper, remembering what Chris had told them before he went through the portal with Bianca. Was there another couple consisting of a witch and a whitelighter? And if there was, what are the chances that they lived in San Francisco and sent their son to the same school as Wyatt? For a fleeting second, Piper wondered if Chris was perhaps Paige's son in the future. Then she brushed the thought away. Chris would've told them if he were related to them. Piper sighed and went downstairs. She heard Paige and Chris talking. She stopped abruptly when she heard Paige saying "You're family!" Piper blocked out the rest of their conversation. Her mind was reeling. She was right, Chris really was Paige's son! It was the only logical explanation! She had a nephew! And it would explain why he and Wyatt were close, why he came back to save him. It all made sense now. Piper wondered who his father was and when Chris was going to be born. It had to be sometimes soon. Piper smiled. She was so happy for Paige... She continued walking down the steps. Paige and Chris were silent now, sitting next to each other, their minds drifting away. They both looked up abruptly when Piper reached the landing.  
  
o.o  
  
A/N: Yay, no cliffie! :P Are ya'll happy? Well, that was hard to write, I didn't really know how to write Paige's reaction, I'm not completely satisfied with it but that's the final result, let's hope you guys enjoy it. This chapter feels a bit forced to me, because I didn't just write it naturally, it took a lot of thinking, I wasn't sure how I was going to write Chris in this chapter, while he was under the truth spell. Anyway, please review, and I'll be off to drink my kiwi and banana milkshake. Might help to get my creative juices flowing for Piper's reaction :P 


	7. Chapter 7

A/N:  
  
o.o  
  
Paige and Chris automatically assumed that Piper heard their conversation. They both became very confused though when Piper walked towards them and came to a halt right in front of Chris, a huge smile gracing her features. Somehow it struck them as odd that Piper's immediate reaction to finding out that Chris is her son would be happiness and glee.  
  
Piper enveloped Chris in a big hug. Chris' arms hung limply at his sides, his expression one of extreme confusion. Paige looked on in equal bewilderment.  
  
"You're my nephew! That's great! I always feel a strange chemistry every time you're around, and now I know it's because we share the same blood! I'm so happy for you, Paige!" exclaimed Piper, turning to give her sister a hug.  
  
Paige gave a nervous laugh, returning Piper's hug uneasily. She looked at Chris over Piper's shoulder and they raised their eyebrows at each other, silently deciding to go with the flow of whatever Piper understood from their conversation, which was apparently that Chris is Paige's son.  
  
Piper finally let go of Paige and they stood in a triangle, Piper holding her 'nephew' and sister's hands, looking between them.  
  
"Chris, why didn't you tell us?" she asked, echoing everyone's question and causing Chris to roll his eyes.  
  
"Future consequences." answered Paige for him. She suddenly remembered how panicked Chris became when she asked him if Piper knew about him. He was just about to say something before he broke out of the spell. She looked at Chris inquiringly, trying to read him as he looked at the hand his mother was holding. She noticed his expression going from blank to pained, but the next second he was back to normal and Paige presumed she'd imagined it.  
  
Chris mutely communicated to his aunt through a warning glare to keep quiet, and Paige nodded. Piper caught their exchange and cocked her eyebrow at them.  
  
"Ha, you've hardly known the truth for a couple of minutes and you already share secrets, I see... Well, it's great to know who you really are, Chris." Realization suddenly dawned on Piper's face. "Oh, that explains why you slept on the couch. Leo and Phoebe know about this, don't they? Why am I always the last one to find out about things like this?"  
  
Neither Chris nor Paige answered and Piper walked away after giving each of their hands a squeeze. Paige was still confused. She'd just found out that the man who'd been their whitelighter for the past months and brought so much drama into their lives is her nephew. And now Piper somehow came to think that Chris was Paige's son. Paige shook her head in bemusement.  
  
Chris was very anxious. In the past two days, his dad, his aunt Phoebe and his aunt Paige had found all out his true identity. He remembered how Bianca had warned him not to let the sisters know who he really is. "Stick to the cover story", she'd said. And he blew it. As time passed by and the deadline was looming, it became harder and harder for Chris to pretend. At first it was easy. He came back from years of training in lying to Wyatt, pretending to be on his side. Pretending was a special talent of his. It was especially hard for him to act around his mom. It was really hard not to run and hug her the first time he saw her when she came back. And then he really wanted to hit Leo. It took a lot out of him to pretend to like his dad and to act impassive around him. Inside he was boiling. But after the time portal incident and several months of seeing what Leo had to go through and finally understanding his dad, it became easier. He didn't let go of his hate towards his father, but he did learn to separate the Leo from this time from the Leo in the future. Then there was Paige. He lied to them when he said Paige died and that titans took over, that was just part of the cover story. And Phoebe... whenever Chris looked at her, he saw his cousin in her. She looked so much like her mom... Lying had only become harder when Piper told Chris to leave after he'd told her about Wyatt turning evil... so much of his plan had gone wrong. He didn't even know how different the future was because of everything that happened in the past 30 hours or so. He remembered wanting to tell Leo when his dad told him "You're not family." He liked to pretend that it didn't affect him by keeping a blank expression, like he was so used to doing with Wyatt. Inside, he was hurting, even though he'd never admit it to himself.  
  
Chris shook the depressing thoughts out of his head and turned cockily to Paige.  
  
"Well, MOM, what do we do now?" he asked, coming to the conclusion that with both sisters and Leo knowing the truth, it really wasn't going to be an option to keep the truth from Piper. His heartbeat got louder as realization dawned on him; he was going to have to face his mom for the first time in 8 years.  
  
Paige looked at Chris very seriously and asked, "Why are you so scared of her finding out?"  
  
Chris held her look for a minute before finally breaking down. "Because... I can't confuse her with the Piper from my future. Because separating her from the mom I know in my future is the only way I've survived these past months. And I can't tell you why", he said, trying not to let his façade fall.  
  
Paige took his hand in hers, her eyes getting misty as she looked at him and whispered: "She died, didn't she? And you're scared of getting close?" it was more of a statement then a question.  
  
Chris gulped and orbed away from his aunt, struggling not to let the pain of his mom's death resurface.  
  
In the manor, Paige was left alone and afraid, not knowing what to do. She heard Piper whistling from the kitchen happily, and made a decision, orbing to her sister's room.  
  
o.o  
  
Phoebe woke up to the excruciatingly bright light shining through the window, being nudged awake by Paige. She whined and fidgeted around in bed, refusing to wake up, until a part of her mind told her that maybe a demon attacked. Her eyes flew open and she sat up abruptly, now wide awake.  
  
"Paige, what is it? Did a demon attack? Is Wyatt okay? Is anybody hurt?"  
  
"Whoa, slow down there... no demon attack. We need to talk." said Paige.  
  
Looking closely, Phoebe noticed that Paige's eyes were a bit red and she looked really confused.  
  
"Paige, what is it?" asked Phoebe worriedly.  
  
"I know about Chris." she revealed.  
  
"Y-you do? B-but... how?"  
  
"He told me. Well, I made him tell me. I cast a truth spell."  
  
"Paige, oh my god, how could you, what if Piper finds-"  
  
"He fought it, it wore off."  
  
"You can fight the truth spell?" asked Phoebe, startled.  
  
"Apparently, you can if you're powerful enough. I think Chris is really powerful, more powerful than us."  
  
"Wow..." Phoebe turned to Paige excitedly. "Aren't you excited to know we're going to have another baby? Another nephew?"  
  
"Yes, yes I am Phoebe, but we have more pressing issues at hand. You see, after Chris told me we were talking, and Piper walked in on us."  
  
Phoebe inhaled sharply. "She knows? Oh no! Chris said she absolutely can't know! When he told us I felt so much fear and pain from him, I just know telling her couldn't have been a good thing for him-"  
  
"No, Phoebe, she doesn't know! Apparently she only heard snippets of our conversation, which for some reason led her to believe that Chris is MY son, her NEPHEW. And then after she congratulated me for having a future child-"here Paige stopped to smile sarcastically- "she went to the kitchen and I asked Chris why he's so scared to let Piper find out- and he practically had a complete breakdown, I've never seen him like that, Phoebe! He was totally freaked out, and I've never seen him so hurt! It's like for the first time he let his guard down and then he just orbed away after telling me something about Piper not being around in the future! Get it, Phoebe? Piper's not going to be there in the future... she's going to die!" said a frightened Paige.  
  
Phoebe looked at Paige in shock. "Paige, you can't just go assuming stuff like that without proof! Did Chris tell you that specifically or-"  
  
"Phoebe, I'm telling you, I may not be an empath but I can read people and I can't possibly see another explanation for Chris' reaction whenever we want to tell Piper the truth!"  
  
Phoebe looked down at her hands, her heart beating twice as fast as normal at the thought of her sister's death. She remembered how unbearably hard it was to accept Prue's death; if Piper ever died, Phoebe didn't know if she'd be able to keep living.  
  
Phoebe finally looked up. "So, what are we gonna do?"  
  
"Don't worry, I already have a plan." said Paige confidently.  
  
o.o  
  
Leo sat across from them guiltily, trying to avert his gaze while they told him about their big discovery: Piper's death. Only he already knew about that. He also knew that thanks to Chris, they weren't going to let it happen. His heart wrenched at the thought of Chris; he could sense him, he was on the Golden Gate Bridge, probably trying to clear his thoughts. He wanted to go there and talk to him, try to make things better. But Paige and Phoebe ranted on and on.  
  
"Leo! Leo, we just told you that the MOTHER OF YOUR CHILDREN is going to die in the future, and all you can do is look at the window and not say anything?!"  
  
Leo finally snapped out of it and looked up to see Paige and Phoebe looking at him with a mixture of anger and fear.  
  
"Look, I already know about that. –" Paige's jaw fell – "But right now I'm more worried about Chris."  
  
Phoebe, feeling his concern, said understandingly: "Go and talk to him for us.  
  
o.o  
  
Argh! I'm having a major writer's block! I have it all planned out, but I'm having a really hard time writing today, my creative juices just aren't flowing! Everything just feels very forced to me. I'm sorry if I'm disappointing all of you, I'm trying to build something here, maybe build up a lot of tension, leading up to the big climax in which Piper finds out or something. I'm just having trouble building up the story, you know? It's alright though, a couple more chocolate chip cookies and maybe some apple sauce and I will be liberated from this horrible writer's block, or near- writer's-block. Please review! 


	8. Chapter 8

Leo orbed in right behind Chris. He couldn't see his son's face.  
  
"Chris?" called Leo over the wind.  
  
Chris jumped and nearly fell off the bridge. He turned to look at his father as if he were crazy.  
  
"Dad, you nearly scared me to death!" he cried.  
  
"Sorry... Are you okay?" asked Leo.  
  
Chris sighed and looked up at the sky.  
  
"If okay is a new way of describing what a person feels when they know they just screwed up the future then yes, I'm okay."  
  
"Chris, I don't see why anything bad could possibly come out of us knowing about you. I mean, everything that you told me, now I can change that!"  
  
"But at what expense? People aren't supposed to time travel, and if they do, they're certainly not supposed to use it to change anything to their advantage! When I came here, all that I was supposed to do was save Wyatt. I was supposed to come here, gain the sister's trust while sending you to the Valhalley so that I can put my plan into action; tell the sisters I'm here to save Wyatt from a demon; find the demon, vanquish it and go back to a much better future! But then you came back and then there was that whole deal with Bianca... and then I had to tell you about Wyatt turning evil... and now you know that I'm your son and I don't even know what kind of future I'm going to go back to." said Chris in one breath.  
  
"First of all, the thing you said about not being supposed to change the future, that's not true. Didn't you study you mother and aunts' history? A couple of years ago, the elders sent them to the future, where they saw that magic was exposed and Phoebe ended up being killed. They got a chance to change that, and they did!"  
  
"At the expense of Melinda, the daughter you were supposed to have." added Chris.  
  
"If she wasn't born, then it just wasn't meant to be." countered Leo. "Besides, now we have Wyatt and you."  
  
"Who said that was a change for the better?" asked Chris desperately.  
  
"Because Wyatt and you are the best thing that's ever happened to me!" cried Leo.  
  
"No we're not! Can't you see, Leo, Wyatt's going to grow up and HURT people, and I'm going to HELP HIM!" cried Chris, finally letting out the secret that's been burdening him ever since he came back to the past.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Leo quickly.  
  
"Nothing... nothing, forget I ever said anything." said Chris quietly, orbing away.  
  
Leo stared at the spot where Chris was moments ago and came to a conclusion, orbing after his son.  
  
o.o  
  
Piper was feeding Wyatt and stirring something on the stove at the same time. "You're going to have a cousin! A good cousin who'll do anything for you, Wyatt!" she gurgled.  
  
Piper was feeling immense relief. She was always worried that Wyatt will grow up all alone and with no friends, thinking he's a freak because of magic. She thought maybe that's what could've turned him. But now that she knew that a good man like Chris was Wyatt's cousin, the future no longer seemed to hold nothing but the darkness that Chris described. A chill went down her spine at the thought of Chris being family. It was just so right, it made so much sense. It was as if all of her questions about the stranger that came here and dropped one bombshell after the other on them about the future were answered in one simple statement: "Chris is Paige's son."  
  
Piper checked her watch worriedly. Why wasn't Phoebe up yet? It was nearly noon. Leo must be Up There, she thought sadly. She really missed having him around the house. Every morning she'd wake up to find herself alone in the bed, looking sadly at the spot where Leo should've been. Every time Wyatt cried and woke her up, she'd think for a split second 'Leo's got it.' And then she'd remember that he left. He became an elder. Gosh, how she hated the elders. They were always there to make her life miserable, take him away whenever they were happy.  
  
She sighed unhappily and turned towards her son. "Well, at least I have you, Wyatt." she said, enveloping him in a hug.  
  
o.o  
  
Chris lied on his bed in Piper's office, his face buried in the pillow. He tried to block out the memories, the flashbacks he was having of all the times he'd killed because of Wyatt. He wished he hadn't let himself be influenced that much... The truth was, he hadn't just come back to save Wyatt; he came to save himself too. Because in the future, the reason Chris never told his parents or aunts about Wyatt's power hunt was because he was on Wyatt's side, right there with him. Chris gripped his head and groaned. Images of the faces of every person he'd killed flashed in his mind, ending with the night he killed the Valkyrie Leysa. He shut his eyes in pain and anger at what he had to do, all for Wyatt, all because of Wyatt. Chris started pounding at the wall in anger, screaming: "I hate you Wyatt! I hate you!" He didn't notice that Leo had orbed in and was now trying to stop Chris without getting punched in the process.  
  
Leo finally got his hands on Chris' arms and lowered them forcefully. Chris, blinded by his fury, turned on Leo instead and shoved his away, sending him crashing to the floor. Leo's cry of pain as his head made contact with the floor finally snapped Chris out of his rage blackout. He looked at Leo in surprise and jumped to help him to his feet.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you, I'm sorry!"  
  
Leo's head landed on a beer bottle when he fell to the floor and he was now bleeding.  
  
"It's okay, don't worry about it." muttered Leo, clutching his head.  
  
"Dad, you're bleeding!" cried Chris.  
  
"I know, just get me to the manor, Piper will know what to do." said Leo through the pain.  
  
Chris nodded frantically and orbed them to the kitchen, where Piper was now setting up the table for breakfast, or lunch, since it was already noon. She turned around in surprise when she heard them orb in and took in the image that greeted her: Chris was holding Leo around the waist to help him stand, and Leo was clutching the back of his head, his hand covered in blood.  
  
"Oh my god, Leo, what happened?" she asked in panic, running towards them and helping Leo onto a chair.  
  
"It doesn't matter, just get me a bandage."  
  
Piper nodded frantically and ran to the bathroom.  
  
"Dad, I'm really sorry..." said Chris, looking at Leo, tormented.  
  
"It's okay, you didn't mean to..."  
  
Piper rushed back into the room, carrying a bandage and a disinfectant.  
  
"Here..." she mumbled, cleaning Leo's wound and pulling out a shard of glass, causing Leo to hiss in pain.  
  
"How did this happen?" she asked again, now wrapping the bandage around Leo's head.  
  
"Uh... I slipped and hit a beer bottle." lied Leo.  
  
Chris looked at him gratefully.  
  
Piper immediately knew that Leo was lying to her. She decided not to pressure him and pretended to nod in understanding, conveying her attention to the bandaging of his gash.  
  
When she finished, Leo sighed in relief and leaned back against Piper, resting his head on her stomach comfortably. Piper raised her eyebrows while Chris, oblivious, went over to the fridge and took out a beer bottle. Leo's eyes shot open in realization and he moved his head away quickly, coughing uncomfortably and getting up very quickly.  
  
"Well, I'd better, uh, get back Up There to get someone to heal me." he said, gesturing to the ceiling.  
  
"You can do that? Well then why didn't you do that in the first place instead of wasting my Band-Aids?" complained Piper.  
  
"I forgot." He said honestly. And it was true; he was too preoccupied with Chris to think about the other Elders.  
  
Chris gulped down almost the entire content of the beer bottle and left the room while Leo orbed out.  
  
"Where are you going?" asked Piper, turning to him.  
  
"To check the book. I think I have a new theory on who turns Wyatt." lied Chris, already bounding up the stairs.  
  
"Hmm... Well, looks like it's just me and you again, Wyatt." said Piper, turning back to her baby.  
  
o.o  
  
Meanwhile, Paige was playing with her hair in front of the mirror while Phoebe typed on her laptop, busy writing this week's column.  
  
"Where are Leo and Chris?" whined Paige for the hundredth time in the last 20 minutes.  
  
"Paige, it's only been half an hour, what's the hurry anyway? Don't you have something better to do than mess around with your hair?"  
  
"I know, it's just, how long does it take a father to talk to his son anyway? Blah... I'm still pretty much in shock I guess. I'm not a morning person, and to top that off I hardly slept last night and spent the last hour discovering that Chris is my nephew, that my sister is probably going to die in the near future and that that very sister thinks that her son is my son. Now tell me Phoebe, wouldn't that make you grumpy as well?" finished Paige, throwing her hairbrush down on the table.  
  
"Ugh, I can't believe we missed all the signs! I mean, he always acted like he knew us from the very beginning. I always thought it was probably because he was one of the innocents we save and he wanted to return the favor or something. Or I don't even know what I thought! Remember when he told us that in all his life he hadn't seen us bail in like that or something after the three stupid blondes happened and all? And there were so many other clues, I mean, I can't believe I didn't feel it from him, what kind of an empath am I?" ranted Phoebe.  
  
"We all missed the signs, including his parents, so don't kill yourself over it. Speaking of his parents, where is LEO?" asked Paige, yelling out the last word.  
  
A newly healed Leo orbed in at the same time as Chris opened the door to Phoebe's room, causing the resulting image to look as if they orbed in together, thus helping them avoid questions on Phoebe and Paige's part.  
  
"Finally, where've you two been?" exclaimed Paige.  
  
They both ignored the question, Chris settling on the edge of Phoebe's bed, causing it to tilt over and Phoebe's laptop which was already near the rim of the double bed to slide and fall to the floor.  
  
"I'm sorry!" he cried, jumping to his feet.  
  
"Ahhh, my laptop, I didn't save my column!" cried Phoebe, picking it up.  
  
Chris rubbed his face. "I'm sorry Phoebe, I don't know what's wrong with me today... first dad, now you... I'll just go away before anyone else gets hurt." he said, orbing out.  
  
"That is one neurotic whitelighter." said Paige.  
  
"What did he mean, first dad, now me? What happened with you two anyway?" Phoebe asked Leo, but the latter was already orbing away after Chris.  
  
"It's the pattern of the day, isn't it?" asked Paige, returning to her mirror to try on some of Phoebe's make up. The middle sister finally looked at the laptop.  
  
"Damn it, I lost my column." she said, exasperated.  
  
o.o  
  
A/N: Ahhh, we're getting near the end! Am I doing a good job of building up tension? You guys tell me! Thanks for all the great reviews, I love you all! I'm really, really sorry, but I won't be updating until Friday, because as I said, I have exams! Lots and lots of exams. Please give me your feedback on this chapter! 


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks so much for all the great reviews! I'm just writing here to clear up a little misunderstanding, which is probably my fault- you see, Chris didn't work FOR Wyatt. He worked with Wyatt. That's my deduction of what really happened, to me it explains why Chris killed that Valkarey and was able to lie so easily to his family and keep up this façade, fooling everyone. It also explained to me why Wyatt said "You of all people to betray me." in Chris-Crossed. Some people think that Chris was openly working in some kind of alliance against Wyatt. They don't take into account that Wyatt wouldn't have said that if he'd known that Chris was against him all along. I think that Chris must've been on Wyatt's side at least for a little while in the future, most probably not for long though, I think a couple of years before he went back already he was good, because of what Bianca told Chris in Chris-Crossed: "This is who I used to be, before I met you." Which leads me to understand that Bianca was evil before she met Chris, who was pretending to be evil, they fell in love, he influenced her or changed her beliefs about right and wrong I suppose, and purposed to her, and I think they would've been dating for several months before proposal, so I'm thinking he was pretending for a couple of years before returning to the past that he was on Wyatt's side. Well, I probably lost all of you there; my explanations always tend to be too long. Oh well, it's not important. Now on with the story, even though it's Wednesday and I am SERIOUSLY in trouble for my science exam. I simply cannot stuff that much information into my head. I just can't, my brain is overloaded with images of CHRIS. I LOVE THAT GORGEOUS MAN.  
  
Cough   
  
AHEM. Sorry about that. :P  
  
Now it is 2 weeks later, it's summer, and I've had a major writer's block and I don't know how to keep going. It's REALLY, REALLY annoying, because the other night I visualized the whole thing and knew exactly how to write Piper's reaction and how she'll find out, but the following morning I'd already forgotten what my plan was! Which left me trying to remember for the next three days, and then I tried writing without the plan, thinking that it'll come back to me as the story progresses, but then I just sat here for an hour, not writing anything! I hate it when this happens! Oh well, on with the story, let's hope today's better than the last 12 days have been.  
  
o.o  
  
Leo orbed in after Chris yet again. He couldn't help but think that if Chris wouldn't have wanted to be sensed and followed, he would've blocked Leo by now. Encouraged, Leo walked over to where Chris was sitting on his bed. He sat down next to him and they both just looked around in silence, Chris munching on crackers noisily.  
  
"You wanna talk about it?" asked Leo.  
  
"No." said Chris, looking away.  
  
Leo looked at Chris out of the corner of his eye. He felt so powerless; most dads would have experience talking to their sons after 22 years; but he was feeling very much out of sync, talking to his son before he was even born –no, conceived.  
  
"Hey... wanna go catch a couple of drinks?" asked Chris, suddenly, turning to look at his dad.  
  
Leo looked at him skeptically. A couple of days ago, before knowing that Chris was his son, Leo wouldn't have minded hanging out with Chris as friends. But now that he saw Chris in a different light, he was feeling quite overprotective of him.  
  
"How about you get some rest instead? Stop thinking about your mother, I think it's been making you overstressed. I'll talk to Phoebe and Paige; put the plan off for a while longer."  
  
Chris looked at Leo gratefully.  
  
Leo held his look for a second and orbed out, leaving Chris to contemplate his choices. The whole family telling Piper who Chris really is would probably overwhelm her; she'd freak out. Not that she wouldn't freak out in any case, but the less drama, the better. 'Maybe dad and I should be the only ones to tell her. Besides, she'd feel really uncomfortable knowing that everyone knows that dad and her have to conceive me.' Chris recoiled at the thought and tried not to visualize anything. He then chastised himself for his childish behavior. He really did have to worry about the whole being conceived business. What if because of him coming here and everything, another child would be conceived? Chris rubbed his temples and grabbed another bottle of beer. Before he knew it, he'd drowned 8 entire bottles.  
  
o.o  
  
Leo, Phoebe and Paige were walking down the stairs. They'd just finished discussing Chris. Leo told them what Chris was going through and they compromised to put off telling Piper, for now. Phoebe promised she'd make some major efforts to keep this secret from Piper.  
  
Piper looked up in surprise as the three of them entered the kitchen, looking quite weary.  
  
"Good morning Pheebs! Hello MOM!" she teased, turning towards Paige.  
  
Phoebe nearly burst out laughing, but managed to stay serious at the warning glare Leo was giving her.  
  
Piper soon became suspicious at the atmosphere in the room. They were all trying to keep something from her; she could see it in their body language. She didn't understand; what else was there to tell besides the fact the Chris was her nephew?  
  
Piper coughed. "Leo, feeling better?" she asked, trying to stir up a conversation.  
  
Leo looked up quickly. "Huh? Oh, that, oh, yeah, feeling better." he said quickly, before dropping his eyes and resuming the munching on his toast.  
  
Everyone was eerily quiet as they read the paper, chewed on their nails or stirred their coffee.  
  
Piper gave Phoebe a searching look. The latter was making tremendous effort not to make eye contact with her sister. She was quite tempted to try to see how obvious Chris' resemblance to Piper would be now that she knew who he was.  
  
Leo, on the other hand, was worrying about Chris. He shouldn't have left him alone. What if he did something to hurt himself? What if a demon came after Chris? He would be a very easy target for a darklighter, what with him being so distracted and all...  
  
Paige was the only one who appeared to be composed. But appearances can be deceiving. If you looked closely enough, you could almost see her brain hard at work. She was trying to put together a plan to maybe find out how Piper would take the possibility of Chris being her son. Maybe she could ask it, in passing, just a small question... 'Piper, it's so weird that Chris is my son! Because if he looks like anyone, he looks like you!' thought Paige... 'Nah, too obvious. Chris would kill me.'  
  
Piper put down the dish she was washing impatiently. "Alright, you three, spill it, what aren't you telling me? This whole atmosphere reminds me of when I was pregnant with Wyatt and you were trying to keep demon attacks a secret from me!"  
  
They all looked up at her in surprise at having their thought interrupted. Phoebe took the opportunity to look for any body parts Chris might've gotten from his mother.  
  
"He's got her face structure..." she mumbled excitedly under her breath, looking at Paige pointedly. Her sister gave her a look that said I'll-kill- you-if-you-say-one-more-word.  
  
"Excuse me, what did you say Pheebs?" asked Piper suspiciously.  
  
"She said that he's got your nurture. He as in Wyatt. He's being nurtured by you." said Paige quickly.  
  
"I thought you were a good liar!" whispered Phoebe fiercely to Paige whilst Piper turned to look at her ex-husband inquiringly.  
  
"Not helping, Phoebe!" hissed Paige back.  
  
Meanwhile, Leo had started talking about Wyatt's first words as a baby as an attempt to avert Piper's attention. Pretty soon, both parents were caught up in deep conversation about their first-born, exchanging fond memories of his first diaper change, the first time he said "mama", and so on.  
  
Suddenly, they all jumped as a loud rumbling was heard and they turned to see a demon looking at them through the window in the kitchen.  
  
o.o  
  
Chris was walking drunkenly towards his bed, a big smile plastered on his face. He was as drunk as a man could be, nearly walking into the wall as he tried to lie down. He couldn't remember who he was, where he was, or when he was. Everything was a big mess in his head. He wasn't thinking clearly, he was seeing things. He heard a voice calling to him. It was his mother. No, now it was his father. Or was it Phoebe? Chris couldn't tell. He orbed towards the voice, half expecting to land in the middle of a demon attack in his drunken state. He wasn't surprised to find himself being flung to the floor the second he'd orbed in, a fireball going over his head. Chris stayed down throughout the entire attack: he vaguely heard Piper yelling that her powers didn't work on the demon; he saw Paige orbing away, probably to the attic to look for a vanquishing potion. Phoebe was trying to attack the demon from behind but he sensed her in the last second. Chris vaguely wondered where his father was; then he assumed he took Wyatt somewhere to keep him safe. It was a shame really, since Wyatt could obviously kill such a demon in the blink of an eye, literally. Chris finally passed out; the last thing he saw was Paige orbing in with a potion and he heard the screams of the demon as he erupted into flames.  
  
o.o  
  
Piper let out a sigh of relief. "Great potion, Paige." she said.  
  
"I second that." said Phoebe.  
  
"Thanks. Hope I didn't take too long." she answered.  
  
"We handled him well. But what's up with this guy?" she asked, turning towards Chris, who was now lying on the kitchen floor, unconscious. Piper walked towards him, recoiling at the smell of alcohol emanating from her 'nephew's' prone form.  
  
"That Chris is gonna get it! He bailed out on us so that he could go get drunk!" exclaimed Paige.  
  
"Poor guy, give him a break, he's been through a lot today." said Phoebe, jumping to her nephew's defense.  
  
"He has? What's he been through? Mind sharing?" asked Piper curiously.  
  
"Oh, you know... the usual stuff. Trying to figure out who turns Wyatt and all." lied Paige.  
  
"Well, help me get him on the couch, will you? Let's wake him up. Phoebe, can ya think up some spell to make him sober again, I don't want my nephew waking up with a major headache tomorrow." said Piper.  
  
"Piper, that's personal gain." opposed Phoebe.  
  
"I don't care, he's my nephew, magic owes him, he's trying to save the future isn't he?" retorted Piper.  
  
Phoebe snorted in amusement, going over to a drawer to get a notebook and a pen.  
  
Meanwhile, Piper managed to get Chris' attention by wiping his forehead with a wet towel. His eyes fluttered open slowly after a while.  
  
"Mom?" he murmured.  
  
"No sweetie, it's your Aunt Piper. Your mom's over there." she said, pointing at Paige who was pacing nervously.  
  
"Aunt Piper?" Chris asked, confused. "Is this an alternate universe?"  
  
"No, Chris, this is the real world. Piper's your aunt, I'm your mother, remember?" hissed Paige nervously, giving Chris a pointed look, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.  
  
Chris looked at her in confusion, the alcohol still draining his senses. He closed his eyes and started laughing suddenly.  
  
"What's so funny?" demanded Paige.  
  
Chris gasped for air, trying to get the words through his laughing fit: "Paige thinks she's my mother... mom, are you all under a spell?"  
  
Piper raised her eyebrow in suspicion, feeling something inside of her jump when Chris called her mom. She suddenly noticed that Chris had Leo's eyes as she looked into them. Piper brushed her suspicion away forcefully, although she heard a little voice in the back of her head saying "You know they're hiding something from you. And why would the alcohol make Chris suddenly believe that she, Piper, was his mother?"  
  
Phoebe was mumbling in a corner, trying to come up with a spell: "I now call upon the power of three, to make my nephew sober... sober as a tree? Piper, I can't come up with a rhyme right now!" she exclaimed exasperatedly.  
  
"Oh, alright! Let him suffer the consequences of his actions! He'd better have a bad hangover tomorrow, teach him not to drink!" retorted Piper, suddenly feeling very irritated at everyone around her, including Chris. What were they hiding from her? Was Chris really Paige's son? Had she gotten it wrong? Why did Chris insist that she's his mother? So many questions and no answers...  
  
"Sweetie, we should call Leo. He'll take care of Chris." said Phoebe quickly, noticing the change in Piper's temper.  
  
Piper nodded absent mindedly, still thinking furiously.  
  
"Leo!" called Phoebe. The Elder orbed in with Wyatt in his arms. He looked around quickly to ensure the demon was gone.  
  
"Can Leo even heal drunkenness? We've never tried this before, have we?" asked Paige, addressing the room at large.  
  
"We haven't, have we?" asked Phoebe, looking at Leo inquiringly. Her ex- brother-in-law was now walking towards Chris quickly.  
  
Chris stopped giggling to himself and looked up when he saw Leo.  
  
"Hi, dad!" he said drunkenly.  
  
Leo froze, his eyes going wide. Phoebe gasped and Paige's jaw fell open. They all turned to look at Piper, wearing identical expressions of dread.  
  
Piper whirled around sharply. For a split second, she thought that Leo and Paige were going to have Chris TOGETHER in the future. She almost fainted at the thought, and then realized it was an absurd idea. She knew Leo and Paige better than that. But then, that would mean that... that Chris was...  
  
Piper stood rooted in her spot, taking in everyone's reactions as she felt her heart sink and then leap right back to its place, beating very quickly. She was right then; Chris was her son... Hers and Leo's son... Piper clamped her hand over her mouth in shock and made to sit down, only there was no chair behind her, so she fell on the floor heavily.  
  
Leo, coming back to his senses, ran towards his ex-wife and helped her up. He offered her his hand but she didn't take it. She was looking at him as though not really seeing him. Leo coughed uncomfortably and laughed, trying to cover up Chris' slip up.  
  
"Yeah, he, uh, he calls me dad sometimes. As in Wyatt's dad." he said swiftly, remembering how Chris had tried to cover up when he'd found out.  
  
Piper turned to look at Chris, who still hadn't registered what was going on. He was now staring blankly at the ceiling, a big smile plastered on his face. Piper felt her head spinning.  
  
"This can't be..." she whispered, turning to look at Leo, fear and confusion evident in her eyes. Leo stopped trying to make up excuses and offered Piper a forced smile. He felt his heart sinking. How could he ask this of her... how could they have another child if he was still an Elder? 'She must really hate me right now...' though Leo, his strained smile transforming into a grimace.  
  
Piper's eyes filled with tears and she looked down hastily. Paige and Phoebe, noticing this, walked towards her quickly. Feeling them surrounding her, Piper whispered: "This is too much to take in..."  
  
"I know sweetie, we know, we felt the same way when we found out..."  
  
Piper tried to clear her head. Chris was her son, her second son. Leo was the father. She had never felt so many things at once in her life. She was happy, she loved Chris, Wyatt wasn't going to be an only child... but his dad wasn't going to be around, and she was going to be a single mother of two... Chris was HER son... she was going to give birth to him and watch him grow into the man who was now sprawled on the living room sofa. She was going to be his MOTHER. Chris was her SON.  
  
"Piper?" asked Leo gently.  
  
She didn't look at him. It would be even more painful to look at him now that she knew they were going to have another baby. Piper got up suddenly without looking at any of them. She wiped her eyes hastily and walked towards the stairs.  
  
"I need to... I need some time to think..." she muttered, her voice cracking, and they heard the door to her bedroom slam shut. Leo looked down and Paige and Phoebe exchanged worried glances. Chris, oblivious to his surroundings, started singing under his breath. No one in the room could make out what the melody was; it sounded like grunting to them.  
  
o.o  
  
THANK GOD THAT CHAPTER'S DONE! MAJOR, MAJOR WRITER'S BLOCK PEOPLE! I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS ONE EVERY DAY FOR THE PAST TWO WEEKS! IT WAS NOTORIOUSLY HARD TO WRITE! I'm so SORRY, I know it was REALLY sucky, but I'm afraid I can honestly say I can't do any better, I've been trying for TWO WEEKS! That was SO difficult to write. Man... shudder  
  
koneko bombay: thanks for your tip, it's funny though, I only read it after I finished writing the chapter and posted it! We have matching mentalities! :P Hehe. Thanks for the review!  
  
And thank you ALL for the reviews! Thanks for being so patient! I'm sorry if you're disappointed with the way I wrote Piper finding out and all, I truly had the worst writer's block EVER! I'd appreciate it if you reviewed; any tips for future chapters are very welcome!  
  
Toodles! 


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